From features in national newspapers to interviews on podcasts with huge followings, press coverage extends a business's message and reach to wider audiences. But, as technology continues to evolve, the lines as to what constitutes media placements can blur. Today, that mediascape has broadened to include social media, backlinks, and online coverage.
In this article, we'll discuss why media coverage is important, and how it helps to establish credibility and drive business growth. We will give a definition of press coverage and seek to understand how it can boost visibility and foster valuable long-term relationships with customers and stakeholders.
What is press coverage?
Press (or media) coverage is the name given for media attention and publicity received by a business, organization, or individual through newspapers, magazines, television, or online coverage, etc.
Why media coverage is important: key benefits for businesses
Media coverage has a lot of advantages, such as helping a business grow and increasing credibility and visibility in competitive market environments.
Building credibility and trust
Building press coverage lends credibility to a business, making it appear credible and trustworthy. When your business pops up in desirable media outlets, this signals to your audience that your brand is valuable to others in the industry.
The more third-party validation you can get, the higher the confidence of customers will be in choosing your offerings over others. As your press grows, so does the trust in your brand.
Enhanced brand awareness
One potency of press coverage is that it raises your company’s brand awareness. Whether through news articles, podcasts, or blog features, consistent media exposure keeps your brand top of mind. This can also help bring new customers right to your doorstep.
When your business is covered in the media, people who may not have heard of you get to learn more.
Drives website traffic (and sales)
The press coverage will also carry backlinks to your website, driving new visitors who want to know about your business. These can easily turn into leads or customers to ensure higher sales.
Media coverage also helps increase the conversion ratio for businesses since consumers are more likely to buy products from brands they trust and are well aware of.
Improved SEO efforts
A single media mention can also improve your website's ranking in search results. Each time a media outlet or blogger links back to your site, your domain authority increases along with the chances of being ranked in the SERPs.
This SEO benefit helps drive organic traffic to your business and makes it easier for customers to find you online. This change in your SEO ranking is a long-term benefit brought about by consistent media exposure.
Establishing industry authority
Being covered in the media establishes your business as an authority and expert.
Every time a journalist, blogger, or influencer writes about your company or quotes an executive it is showcasing your expertise, which, over time, may establish your brand as a thought leader in the industry and a credible voice that others listen to and respect. People tend to have a policy of trusting and buying from thought leaders.
Enhanced stakeholder relations
Positive press coverage will not only affect your customers' perceptions but also help improve your stakeholder relationships with investors, partners, and suppliers.
A strong media presence is a win-win that will prove the stability and growth potential of your business and make it quite attractive for investors looking for serious and successful businesses to invest in at a startup funding round.
Staying ahead of competitors
In a competitive environment, positive media coverage separates you from competitors who might not enjoy such visibility or any at all.
Continuous press ensures that your brand remains relevant and could give you a competitive edge. Companies that aggressively go after media coverage and are successful tend to outlast and outperform their competition (and by some degree).
Reaching target audiences
Strategic and well-placed press coverage allows businesses to reach their intended target audiences more effectively. For example, as a fintech business, being featured in FinTech Global ensures that your message gets in front of people who are already interested in your niche.
This targeted exposure to audiences can lead to more meaningful connections and higher conversion rates.
The different types of media coverage (with examples)
Here, we will look at the kinds of press coverage a business could use: paid, owned, shared, and earned media.
Paid
Paid media means any media exposure a business receives is paid for. Paid media allows businesses to target particular audiences and attain visibility immediately.
Examples of paid media include Google Ads, sponsored social media posts, display ads, and influencer partnerships where money is exchanged in return for promotion on their social channels. For example, a company could use Facebook advertising to support a new product launch or even pay for content to appear on a third-party blog.
Although the coverage will cost them, it allows for direct control over the message, the timing, and the platform of the exposure.
Earned
Earned media is that which a business receives organically, through reviews or article features, and also without paying. Coverage shows third-party endorsements.
Examples include news stories, press features, product reviews, and social media mentions. Other examples of earned media include features in known publications and mentions in popular blog posts.
This will do much to build trust with potential customers.
Shared
This is the material shared far and wide on social platforms. At least, that is the hope. It is likely to be created by the brand, but it can also be created by its audience.
It could be comments, likes, interactions, and sharing on various platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Shared gives rise to enormous opportunities to extend reach. People sharing their experiences about a product or retweeting something the company said also count.
Owned
Owned media will involve the use of channels and content created and controlled by the business itself. This could naturally include a company website, blog, social media channels or email newsletters.
With owned media, a business enjoys having complete control over how its brand is portrayed. A company can write relevant and useful blog posts for its site on matters such as future trends, pain points or customer success stories. This media kind allows you to engage the target audience because of the value proposition it presents to them.
Learn more about the PESO model® in PR
How to get media coverage for your business
Securing media coverage is a strategic process that requires crafting interesting stories and maintaining regular communication with your audience. Pitching to the media is one way of doing this. Those who have an interesting or relevant story to share can contact journalists with the hope of getting it shared.
Another strategy includes issuing a press release. Writing a great press release is ideal for announcing those big business milestones, like product launches or winning an award. Leveraging your owned media channels can also help boost pickup with the press. Companies can also attend industry events in search of exposure.
The bottom line is that the more you engage with industry experts and media professionals, the greater the possibility of securing media placements of real value.
Learn more about how to get press coverage
Conclusion
Hopefully now you understand what media coverage is and why it is important. Media exposure is a tool that helps in building credibility and raising awareness for a brand. Through news coverage, an organization can establish itself as a thought leader. Media presence is super important in a world where our lives are lived online. It fosters credibility and trust with audiences.
According to some interesting recent data, companies receiving frequent press coverage realize as high as 80% more engagement with their target audiences compared to those firms receiving little or no exposure whatsoever - which is something to think about.
